GEYC has officially joined the ALDA Network!
ALDA - European Association for Local Democracy is an organization dedicated to promoting good governance and citizen participation at the local level. ALDA focuses particularly on activities that facilitate cooperation between local authorities and civil society. ALDA is a key stakeholder in the field of local democracy, active citizenship, and cooperation between local authorities and civil society in Europe, its neighborhood, and all around the World, mainly acting through participative methods and decentralized cooperation.
The association was established in 1999 at the initiative of the Council of Europe to coordinate and support the network of Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs), which are autonomous, locally registered NGOs acting as promoters of good governance and local self-government, with which ALDA collaborates in many activities.
ALDA is a membership-based organization that composed of almost 300 members (including local authorities, local government associations, and nongovernmental organizations) from over 40 countries, and is funded through membership dues and project funding from the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and other public and private donors.
The Association is headquartered in Strasbourg, France, but has several offices in and around Europe: in Vicenza, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia; Chisinau, Moldova; and Tunis, Tunisia. ALDA works with members and partners to develop projects that support its mission in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.
GEYC and ALDA share the same aim of improving local contexts by building bridges with local authorities in order to ensure good governance and citizen participation through grassroot action.
GEYC has always supported local initiatives and through our projects, we always set out to empower young people to create a positive change in their community. The Democracy & Human Rights Department of GEYC was specifically created to focus on topics such as networking, structured dialogue, and policy-making in the youth field. Until now, we involved youth în strategic initiatives related to: digital citizenship, youth participation and activism, human rights, youth radicalization, intercultural learning and so on.
One of our emblematic projects that perfectly lines up with our shared commitment with ALDA to empower and support youth to help create the change they want to see in the communities through cooperation with their local authorities is “Constanța pentru TINEri!” (Constanta for YOUth!), a joint initiative between GEYC and the Youth Federation of Constanta.
Through this project we decided to empower young people to advocate for the creation of Youth Centres in their communities that are going to act as agents that guide and represent youth in relation with the local authorities. The centers will inform and counsel young people through permanent activities, they will promote volunteering and civic engagement and will act as a connection line between young people and decision makers.
Therefore, while finishing our current projects and thinking on new ones that will have an even greater impact on local communities all across Romania, we are really excited to have joined a network that so perfectly captures the scope of our actions and we cannot wait to implement our future activities with their guidance and support.